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Hard data on e-waste that should drive you to action

E-waste stands for Electronic Waste in its entirety. In basic terms, it refers to all kinds of electrical and electronic equipment that could enter or has already entered the waste stream.

Electronic waste is a very general term, but it is considered to mainly cover computers, mobile phones, televisions and many household appliances. This field is growing rapidly because the companies that produce this electronic and electrical equipment are ramping up their production to meet demand as more and more countries go digital.

However, e-waste poses a risk to human existence to say the least and therefore something needs to be done. It may not be a computer recycling company, but once you read the following facts, you’ll feel compelled to take whatever small action you can:

Although these wastes represent only 2% of the garbage in the United States landfills, they are equivalent to more than 70% of the toxic waste in general. Electronic devices contain large amounts of lead, which can cause significant damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems, the kidneys, and the blood.

· A large percentage of what you see labeled as e-waste is not actually e-waste, but complete electronic equipment and parts, which can be recycled or re-used by others and have a ready market.

Mobile phones and other electronic equipment contain precious metals like silver and gold. What is even more shocking is that American mobile phones containing precious metals are worth more than 60 million dollars each year.

· Americans discard almost 85% of electronic products they no longer use in incinerators or landfills, which in turn release toxic substances into the atmosphere. When inhaled, these toxics cause damage to the body, resulting in poor health and high medical bills.

· For every 1,000,000 cell phones that a recycling company recycles, it can recover 33 pounds of palladium, 75 pounds of gold, 772 pounds of silver and more than 35,000 pounds of copper. These metals can be sold and/or used for other purposes.

Recycling one million laptops can save energy equivalent to the electricity that 3,657 homes in the United States will use each year. However, the e-waste that recyclers are currently able to recycle is around 12.5%.

· Each year, people and businesses dispose of between 20 and 50 million metric tons of electronic waste, contributing to poor health and harming the environment.

· Manufacturing on a monitor and a computer uses up to 1.5 tons of water, 48 pounds of chemicals and more than 530 pounds of fossil fuel.

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